Buying jewellery online in Australia: your rights, plainly

We sell jewellery online, so read this knowing where it comes from. But these are the rules every Australian seller operates under, and knowing them makes you a harder customer to short-change — including by us.

Consumer guarantees sit above any returns policy

Under Australian Consumer Law, goods must be of acceptable quality, match their description, and be fit for purpose. These guarantees apply automatically. A shop cannot write them away in its terms, and a sign saying "no refunds" does not override them.

If a bracelet arrives broken, or is not what was described, that is a failure of a consumer guarantee and you are entitled to a remedy — a repair, replacement or refund depending on how major the problem is.

Changing your mind is different

If the item is exactly as described and you simply do not like it, that is not a consumer guarantee issue. Any return in that case is the shop's own policy being generous. Check what it says before you buy, and check who pays return postage.

Ours is thirty days, unworn, return postage within Australia on us. That is a policy, not a legal minimum.

Descriptions have to be accurate

This is the one worth knowing in jewellery. "White gold finish" on a silver piece, carat weights that flatter, "certified" where the certificate is the maker's own — misleading descriptions are prohibited conduct, not marketing licence.

It is why we say plated rather than gold, state the stone diameter rather than only the total carat weight, and describe the GRA card as the maker's own grading rather than as independent certification.

Pre-orders and delivery timeframes

If a seller takes your money now for goods arriving later, they have to supply within the timeframe stated, or within a reasonable time if none was stated. A pre-order should tell you when it ships before you pay, not after.

Ours says so on the button and under it: pre-order now, ships late November. If that date moves, you are entitled to be told, and to a refund rather than an indefinite wait.

Where to check

The ACCC publishes all of this in plain English at accc.gov.au. If something a seller has told you does not match what you read there, trust the ACCC.